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Even in the earliest days following its founding in 1944, Ulker has been considered the leader of chocolate and biscuit production in Turkey.
This role had dubious beginnings, as Turkey's political and economic changes seemingly conspired against Ulker, forcing it into a vertically integrated structure.
Yet Ulker's management was determined to make the integration work, and work it did. Today, the original confectionery company, founded by Sabri Ulker, an immigrant from Crimea, is now only a part of the multi-million dollar Ulker Group.
The company's mission is what keeps the confectionery operation, as well as the rest of the group, a leader in Turkey, and the rest of the world.
On posters that can be found throughout Ulker's facilities, visitors can read, "What Ulker is producing are the goods and the services which people need for a better living standard." Hand-in-hand with this mission is Ulker's adherence to maintaining standards of quality, affordability and distinct taste.
From its first years as a biscuit producer, to a diversified food business, this philosophy has brought its production to more than 350 tons of chocolate and over 500 tons of biscuits per day, plus a product range of 150 items in biscuits, chocolates, non-chocolates and chewing gums.
Committed to integration
At Ulker's chocolate and biscuit factory in Istanbul, General Manager Necdet Buzbas outlines the extent of Ulker's integration. "Flour for the biscuits comes from our flour mill; glucose from the glucose company; fat from the fat company; boxes from the box company; and wrapping material from the OPP company. Machines (conveyors, cooling tunnels) come to us from our machinery company. This situation means we can manage quality."
Fat, too, for use in chocolate as well...